Top 10

CAPSULES AND RANKING

Team (Record): 1. Florida (7-0-3)

Comment: Not a single minus among Panthers’ plus/minus stats. Per Gustafsson is among top-scoring defensemen with three goals, seven points.

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Team (Record): 2. Dallas (8-2-0)

Comment: No post-World Cup slump for Mike Modano (four goals, 12 points), but Joe Nieuwendyk (rib muscle pull) is still a week away.

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Team (Record): 3. Colorado (7-4-1)

Comment: Joe Sakic (19 points) and Peter Forsberg (15) are among top scorers. Sandis Ozolinsh (two goals, 10 points) leads defensemen.

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Team (Record): 4. Calgary (7-4-1)

Comment: Seven rookies are helping sustain a 4-0-1 streak.

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Team (Record): 5. Detroit (6-4-1)

Comment: The Red Wings have given up only four goals in the last four games. Their 1.53 team goals-against average leads the league.

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Team (Record): 6. Chicago (6-4-1)

Comment: Eric Daze returns from a sprained ankle and Alexei Zhamnov gets his first as a Blackhawk.

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Team (Record): 7. Hartford (5-2-0)

Comment: An occasional stumble, but Geoff Sanderson and Kevin Dineen, four goals each, keep the Whalers afloat.

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Team (Record): 8. Edmonton (6-5-0)

Comment: Oilers’ offense ranks second in the West. Ryan Smyth (seven goals) and Jason Arnott (six) lead the way.

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Team (Record): 9. Buffalo (5-5-0)

Comment: The Sabres’ four-game winning streak ended against the Rangers, but their offense is alive with 24 goals in five games.

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Team (Record): 10. New Jersey (4-3-1)

Comment: Consecutive victories over San Jose and Tampa Bay are the Devils’ first this season.

GAME OF THE WEEK

FLORIDA PANTHERS at NEW YORK RANGERS

* When--Today. Time--4:30 p.m. TV--ESPN.

* Storyline--The Panthers are sprinting away from the rest of the Eastern Conference. Defense is their strength but they showed they can play run and gun in a 6-4 victory over the Rangers last Friday. The Rangers are curiously inconsistent. They were 0-3-2, won three in a row, then lost three in a row before holding off Buffalo on Sunday, 6-4. Wayne Gretzky, with five goals, and 17 points, has crashed the top five in scoring. The Rangers are 0-4-1 against Atlantic Division opponents, 0-2-1 against Florida.